A new and improved on-ramp to northbound I-5 in the Kent area will open to travelers the morning of Thursday, June 5, 2025.
The eastbound SR 516 on-ramp to I-5 has been closed since Feb. 18.
During the closure, contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation rebuilt the ramp as part of the SR 509 Completion Project.
The entrance to the new ramp now aligns with an intersection where other on- and-off ramps to and from northbound I-5 are located. Crews also removed some of the sharp curve that was in the old loop ramp.
SR 509 Completion Project information
Improvements at the I-5/SR 516 interchange are part of the SR 509 Completion Project. The project builds 3 miles of new tolled highway between I-5 and South 188th Street near the south end of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The new highway will be completed in stages. The portion under construction between I-5 and 24th Avenue is scheduled to open in 2025. The final stage builds the remaining 2 miles of the expressway between 24th Avenue South and South 188th Street.
The entire project is planned for completion by 2029.
Puget Sound Gateway Program overview
The SR 509 Completion Project is part of WSDOT’s Puget Sound Gateway Program, which also includes the SR 167 Completion Project in Pierce County. Together, the two completion projects finish critical missing links in Washington’s highway and freight network.
